Combined sewing machine cabinet and folding chair



June 14, 1960 J. RUBIN 2,940,807

COMBINED SEWING MACHINE CABINET AND FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 13, 1957 Sheets-Sheet l 1* um. I 1 ..|1 l6 6 E 74 6 44 L 40 4 $38 I LT I W E 34. E Jacob Rub/n 6:4 30 INVENTOR. 24 1/ I 1 s k Jun. 1' 9 .ml /6 E M a I) Attorneys June 14, 1960 J. RUBIN 2,940,807

COMBINED SEWING MACHINE CABINET AND FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 13, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

Jacob Rub/n $0 76 3 1x I-ENTOR.

33 m' 2mm J. RUBIN June 14, 1960 COMBINED SEWING MACHINE CABINET AND FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 13, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.8

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m m u A .mw m M b ,7 W Z W m a Z/ M w .u b 8 W M Patented June 14, 1960 CONLBINED SEWING MACHINE CABINET AND- FOLDING CHAIR Jacob Rubin, P.O. Box 966, Beckley, W. Va. Filed Nov. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 696,135 Claims. (Cl. 312-29) The present invention generally relates to a sewing machine cabinet and more particularly to a collapsible and extensible sewing machine cabinet which may be collapsed to a compact condition and extended to a position for use of the sewing machine in the conventional manner with the cabinet having a chair attached thereto whereby the chair will be in a normal position for receiving a person when the sewing machine cabinet is in; collapsed condition with the chair being rendered inoperative and moved to an out of the-Way position when the sewing machine cabinet is extended for use of the sewing machine.

In many homes and other areas where sewing machines are utilized, it quite often occurs that the sewing machine cabinet takes up too much space. In an attempt to solve this problem, sewing machines of a portable nature have been provided which are rather compact but which also have certain disadvantages in that the tables and other supports provided for the portable type sewing machine are not at the proper height and are otherwise inconvenient. Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to incorporate a chair on a sewing machine cabinet whereby the cabinet is collapsible so that the chair may be rendered useful when the sewing machine is not in use and whereby the sewing machine cabinet when extended will be generally of the same shape and size as a conventional sewing machine cabinet which is provided with the usual pivotal sewing head and pivotal extension board which overlies the cabinet when the sewing machine head is pivoted downwardly into the interior of the cabinet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine cabinet in accordance with the preceding objects in which the chair is attached to the pivotal extension board with the chair extending above the board when the extension board is in overlying relation to the cabinet and the cabinet has been collapsed.

A further important feature of the present invention is-to provide a collapsible sewing machine cabinet in accordance with the preceding objects in which the cabinet is constructed of two telescopic sections which are counterbalanced in such a manner that the cabinet may be easily extended or retracted with positive lock means being provided for retaining the cabinet in extended position when the sewing machine is going to be used.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide asewing machine cabinet in accordance with the immediately preceding object in which the positive lock means incorporates a shifting of the upper section of the telescopic sections in relation to the lower section into a condition of misalignment so that the top section cannot be telescoped into the bottom section until the top section is again shifted into proper position for movement inwardly into the bottom section.

Other objects of the present invention will reside in its simplicity of construction, ease of operation, eifectiveness for itsparticular purposes, space saving qualities and its relatively inexpensive manufacturing cost.

t 2 These together with other objects and advantages-which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which: Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the sewing machine cabinet of the present invention with portions thereof broken away illustrating the sewing machine cabinet and sewing machine head in position for use; n

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the construction of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a partial front elevational View of the cabinet when in collapsed condition;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the cabinet and chair when in collapsed position illustrating the construction of the chair seat in relation to the cabinet;

Figure 5 is a partial front elevational view of the sewing machine cabinet illustrating the construction of counterbalance springs;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan sectional view taken substantially upon the section line 6-6 of Figure 1 illustrating the details of the spring loaded bars and tracks therefor;

Figure 7 is a detailed sectional view substantially upon a plane passing along section line 77 of Figure 2 illustrating the construction of a plurality of drawers in the upper section of the cabinet;

Figure 8 is a detailed plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 88 of Figure 2 illustrating the relationship of the upper and lower section when the upper section is in extended and locked condition;

Figure 9 is a detailed sectional view showing the construction of the tracks and rods and the relationship thereof; and

Figure 10 is a detailed sectional view taken substantial- 1y upon a plane passing along section line 1010 of Figure 8 illustrating the structural relationship of upper and lower sections and the limit means for the upper section to prevent the upper section from becoming disengaged from the lower section.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the sewing machine cabinet of the present invention which includes an upper section generally designated by the numeral 12 and a lower section generally designated by the numeral 14.

The lower section includes a bottom plate 16 which is generally U-shaped in configuration in that the front edge thereof has an enlarged recess for receiving the feet of a person using the machine so that the feet may rest on the floor. Each corner of the bottom plate 16 is provided I wall 22 which may be of any conventional construction and may be of wood having a texture or quality of that normally employed in a sewing machine whereby the cabinet will actually be an attractive piece of furniture.

Each front edge of each side wall 20 is provided with a vertically extending channel-shaped guide 24 which extends from the upper surface of the bottom plate 16 to a point adjacent the upper end of the side plates. The

channel-shaped guide members 24 face inwardly and form vertical guides for vertical sliding movement of the upper section 12.

Adjacent the upper edge of each side member 20 is an L-shaped lug 26 having an inwardly extending upper end portion which extends into the path of movement of a portion of the upper section 12 for limiting the upward movement thereof. The bottom plate 16 is also provided with a slot 281forming a guide for the rear of the upper section 12 whereby the upper section 12 will be located in relation to the lower section 14 when in collapsed position as ,wellas whenin extended position. {'Therupper section '12 includes a generally U-shaped bottom plate 30 generally similar 'in appearance to the bottom plate-{16 of the lower section 14. Extending up- "w'ardly from the bottom plate 30 are sidewalls 32 which are in parallel relation. to eachother and a rear wall '34 which is perpendicular to the, sidewalls and to the 42 mounted onthe same whereby the sewing machine head 42 and platform 40 are conventional and the sewing machine head 42 may be pivoted downwardly through the platform 40 as 'well as the top member 38 into ;ahorizontal depending condition as illustrated in Figure 7 3. This isja conventional arrangement in sewing machine cabinets as is the extension board44 connected to the platform 40 by a hinge connection 46 whereby the extension board 44 may overlie the platform 40 when the sewing machine head 42 is in collapsed condition and will be coextensive therewith" as illustrated in Figure 1 when the sewing machine head 42 is in position for use.

Mo'unted on the surface of the extension board 44 which faces downwardly when the extension board 44 is un-' 'folded as shown in Figure l is a' chair seat 48 and a chair back 50 connected thereto which may be of any conventional chair construction whereby the chair seat 48 and back 50 will assume a position so that the chair 'seat 48 and back 56 forms in combination with the collapsed cabinet a seat whichmaybe used as a conventional chair as illustrated in Figure 4 inasmuch as the chair seat and back will face upwardly when the sewing machinehea'd 42 has been folded into a cabinet and the extension board 44 folded into overlying relation to the platform 40 as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

Referring now specificallyto Figure 10, it is pointed'out that the bottom wall 30 of the upper section 12 extends "outwardly beyond the side edges 32 thereof with V the outer edges of the bottom wall 36 being provided with achannel shaped member 52' connected therewith which 'forms a bearing surface for the inturned lugs 26 whereby this connection limits the upward movement of the.

upper section 12 and also provides a .guideand bearing {surf-ace during rearward andfo-rward sliding movement tof the'upper section 12. a

Asiillustrated in Figure 9, an L-shaped' bracket 54 is mounted centrally on the bottom surface of the rear edge of the bottom plate 30 with the vertical leg' of the bracket 54 extending downwardly for engagement with the inner surface of the upper end'of the rear ,wall

22 on the lower section 14 thus limiting the rearward sliding movement of the upper section 12 in relation to the lower section 14. This vertical portion of the bracket '54 also extends downwardly through the slot 28 in the bottom wall 16 when the upper section 12 is extended downwardly intothe lower section 14 and generally centralizes this portion of the structure. I A tension coil spring or springs 56 have the centers thereof extending under the bracket 54 and have the free ends thereof attached to the side walls 2% of the lower section at the rear edge thereof for counterbalancing the upper section and tending to urge the upper section upwardly .to an extended position thus counterbalancing a portion of the weight of the upper section. r

One side wall 32 of the upper section 12 is provided 7 with a plurality of horiZontally elongated openings 58 therein having a plurality of small drawers 60 extending therethrough for receiving various articles associated with the sewing machine suchaasare normally carried in the usual small drawers provided in the conventional sewing machine calihlet." Such equipment inayincludel bobbins, thread, tools or like. T

The undersurfac'e of the bottoma-plate .30 ofttheupper section 12 is provided with a plate 62 having a plurality of dependingspacedandfpafallelTvertical fiah'g'es 63 thereon forming a plurality of transverse trackways. The trackways could be independent channel shaped members secured in parallel relation or may be of one piece as illustrated in the drawings. Disposed in each trackway is a series of rollers 64 in the form of washers mounted on a common shaft 66 extendinglthrough. the legs or a platform 40 connected thereto with the sewing machine platform 49 having the conventional sewing machine head side walls'20 thereof as illustrated inxFigure 1.

channel shaped bar 68. The channel shaped bar extends outwardly and is in engagement with the line of juncture between the bottom wall 16 oftth e lower section and the There are two pairs of channel shaped barsjwith alternate bars extending towards opposite sides of the cabinet Each channel shaped section has three-tension coil springs 70 connected thereto by a transverse pin 72 adjacent the roller end thereof. The other ends oft-he springs 70 are connected to'the undersurface'of the bottom wall 30 of the upper section immediately outwardly 'of the ends of the plate 62 or immediately outwardly of the trackways receiving the rollers 64. These tension spring .70 urge the bars 68 towards a vertical position or towards the outer; ends of the plate 62. When'the upper section 12 is in the extended positio'n'as illustrated'in Figure l, the bars 68 are crossed with the point of intersection being adjacent the roller end thereof, When the upper section of the cabine't is forced downwardly, the roller ends of "the opposite" bars move apart or towards the edge of the plate remote from the point ofv attachment of the springs 70 thus tensioning the springs and counterbalancing the weight of the upper section of the cabinet. Thus, the springs and bars counterbalance the weight of the upper section and also form somewhat of a guide for the movement thereof. The lower ends of the bars 68 may be'attached-to the bottom "plateby attaching lugs 74 or any other suitable means. 1 As seen in Figure 6, the roller construction is'such that it does'not completely fill the 'trackways thus permitting lateral shifting forward and rearwardly of the upper section in relation to the lower section without materially attecting the operation of the bars '68. "Due to the minor amount of this shifting, it is possible that the'bars 68 not be rigidly attached to the lower section but only rest in the juncture angle'between the bottom plate 16 and side plates 20.

Themechanism for shifting Lthe'npper section .12 m

relation tothe lower section 14 includes an elongated lever 76 'pivotally mounted by lapivot pin 78st its center to the side walls 32. The upper 'end :ofithetlever 76 is 7 connected to a link 82' terminating in a handle .83. adjacent the forward edge ofthe top plate'38 with a guide member 84 being provided for the link 82 thus providing the handle 83 will :be disposed immediately adjacent the forward edge of the toppl'ate 38; Disposed vertically on the sid'e plate 32 is a vertical right angular .member '86 and an outwardly facing channel shaped-member 88 L in spaced relation'with the lever 76 being disposedtherebetween. The side wall 20 of the "lowersection'is provided with an Ushaped vertical member 90 in spaced parallel relation totthe vertical member 86 with the ends thereof overlappingwhereby' forwardmovement of the section 12 will .hellimited and .these two L-shaped memberswill guide the vertical member-of the upper section. .Also provided on the lower section and 'on the sidewall 20 the f an ishaps m =2wh h is ins a relation to the L-shaped member 90 whereby the lower end of the lever will be received therebetween so that upon pivotal movement of the lever about pivot point 78, the upper section will be moved forwardly and rearwardly. When the section 12 is moved rearwardly, the channel 88 will rest on L-shaped member 92 secured to the lower section 14 thus preventing downward movement of the upper section 12. When the upper section 12 is moved rearwardly, the rear wall 34 thereof will rest on the rear wall 22 of the lower section as illustrated in Figure 9. Thus, the rear and forward end of the upper section 12 is supported from the lower section and until the handles 83 are pulled which will move the upper section 12 forwardly, the device will be maintained in extended position.

Rollers may be provided between the walls 20 and 32 for facilitating the vertical movement of the upper section 12 if desired. These rollers may be in the form of spherical members mounted in brackets connected to the side walls.

With the device in the condition illustrated in Figure 4, the very acute angle between spring 70 and bar 68 will render the springs rather ineifective until the upper section 12 is started to move upwardly. The movement of the upper section upwardly is efiected by merely grasping the same and urging it upwardly until it moves the upper section to the upper limit of its movement. The spring 56 also is not strong enough to move the upper section by itself inasmuch as the tendency of the upper section to tilt will bind the upper section in the lower section until the upper section is grasped and moved to a condition so that it may slide upwardly in the guide channels 24. The rear edge of the side plates 32 may also be provided with channel members 94 which can also engage the rearmost lug 26 during the vertical sliding movement of the upper section. .After the upper section has been moved to its uppermost position, the handles 83 are forced inwardly. This will bring the lower end of the lever 76 into engagement with the L-shaped member 92 and further rearward force on the handles 83 will cause the upper section 12 to move rearwardly with the rear wall 34 in alignment with the rear wall 22 of the lower section and the channel shaped member 88 in alignment with the L-shaped member 90 thus securing the upper section in extended position and preventing downward movement thereof until the upper section is moved forwardly. This is accomplished by pulling on the handles 83 which will bring the lower end of the lever 76 into engagement with the L-shaped member 90 on the lower section and cause the upper section to move forwardly so that the channel shaped member 94 is in engagement with the lug 26, the L-shaped member 56 is in engagement with the L-shaped member 90 and the channel shaped member 36 is in engagement with the channel shaped member 24 and the lever 76 is in vertical condition for downward sliding movement between the L-shaped members 90 and 92 to a position illustrated in Figure 4.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A sewing machine cabinet comprising a lower cabinet section, an upper cabinet section telescopically engaged with the lower section, means carried by the upper section for mounting a sewing machine head on said upper section, slidably engaging means disposed between the upper and lower sections for guiding the vertical telescopic movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, and means interconnecting the upper and lower sections for shifting the upper section laterally in relation to the lower section when the upper section is at its uppermost limit of movement thus rendering the guide means ineffective and preventing downward movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, and spring means connected between the upper and lower sections for urging the upper section upwardly thus counterbalancing the weight of the upper section and the sewing machine head.

2. A sewing machine cabinet comprising a lower cabinet section, an upper cabinet section telescopically engaged with the lower section, means carried by the upper section for mounting a sewing machine head on said upper section, slidably engaging means disposed between the upper and lower sections for guiding the vertical telescopic movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, and means interconnecting the upper and lower sections for shifting the upper section laterally in relation to the lower section when the upper section is at its uppermost limit of movement thus rendering the guide means ineffective and preventing downward movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, said upper section being provided with a pivotal extension board having a chair seat and back mounted on the upper surface thereof, said means mounting the sewing machine head permitting the sewing machine head to be pivoted inwardly into the interior of the upper section whereby the extension board may be disposed across the top of the upper section thus providing a closure for the upper section and a chair when the lower section and upper section are telescoped thus providing a seat and reducing the size of the sewing machine cabinet.

3. A sewing machine cabinet comprising a lower cabinet section, an upper cabinet section telescopically engaged with the lower section, means carried by the upper section for mounting a sewing machine head on said upper section, slidably engaging means disposed between the upper and lower sections for guiding the vertical telescopic movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, and means interconnecting the upper and lower sections for shifting the upper section laterally in relation to the lower section when the upper section is at its uppermost limit of movement thus rendering the guide means inefiective and preventing downward movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, each of the upper and lower sections being provided with a rear wall with the rear walls being misaligned during telescopic movement and being aligned when the upper section is moved laterally in relation to the lower section for preventing telescopic movement of the rear wall of the upper section into the lower section.

4. A sewing machine cabinet comprising a lower cabinet section, an upper cabinet section telescopically engaged with the lower section, means carried by the upper section for mounting a sewing machine head on said upper section, means disposed between the upper and lower sections for guiding the vertical telescopic movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, and means interconnecting the upper and lower sections for shifting the upper section laterally in relation to the lower section when the upper section is at its uppermost limit of movement thus rendering the guide means inefiective and preventing downward. movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, said means for moving the upper section laterally including an elongated lever pivotally mounted adjacent the center thereof to the upper section and having a handle means at one end with the other end thereof engaged with the lower section whereby pivotal movement of the lever will cause the upper section to move laterally in relation to the lower section.

5. A sewing machine cabinet comprising a lower cabinet section, an upper cabinet section telescopically engaged with the lower section, means carried by the upper section for mounting a sewing machine head on said --upper sectiomvmeans disposed' betweenthe upper an lowerrsectionsrfor guidingthe vertical telescopic moveunentof the upper section in relation to thelower' section, -and meansinterconnecting the upperand lower sections 7 for shifting the uppersection laterally in relation to the -1ower7 section when theupper section is'at its uppermost ofmovement thus rendering theguide means inefiective' and, preventing downward movement of the upper section in relation to the lower section, said upper section being provided with a bottom plate, said lower section being provided with a bottom plate, said bottom --p1ate on theupper section having a plurality 'of parallel itrackvyays, a series 'of bars pivotaily connected to the bottomof'the-lower section adjacentthe outer edges thereof each'ofsaid bars haying roller means 'mounted on the upper ends thereof engaged with the tracks Onthe --undersurface of the bottom of the upper section, and

7 spring means interconnecting the upper end of each of saidbars and the bottom -o f the 1.12m; s cti n. hereby the springswill urge the upper endsof the bars outwardly to a vertical position thus urgin g'the upper 'sectio n uplwardly to an extended position;

References Cited in the. of thi spatent UNITED STATES PATENTS i 614,064 7 Germany May'31, 

